Trapped: The 36th Hunger Games
by books-are-brain-food456
Summary: The time has come yet again for twenty four children to be sent to their possible demise... and only one will come out alive. Who will reign victorious and who will perish while trapped inside of an artificial world?
1. It Begins

"And that concludes our final meeting before the start of the 36th Annual Hunger Games!" A series of whoops and hollers echoed the excitement in President Snow's words.

"You've all worked very hard this past year and I have confidence that this year's Games will not be one to be quickly forgotten, thanks to our newest Head Gamemaker, who you all know well by now."

The technicians and other Capitol officials dutifully applauded while stealing glances at the beaming young woman at the other end of the table, directly across from President Snow. Her eyes were wide with excitement of what was to come in the next few weeks. Others in the large boardroom shared in her enthusiasm for the Games, but they could not easily let go the fact that the previous Head Gamemaker had been fired after only one year of service for severely disappointing the Capitol audience with his obvious hatred for bloodshed. The Games had only gone downhill from the moment the gong rang; when there was only one death in the immediately following "bloodbath". The Head Gamemaker spent the rest of the Games forcing tributes apart instead of driving them together. The victor won purely by out-surviving the others. Needless to say, the one responsible for all of this was… _disposed_ of quickly. This year's Head Gamemaker was definitely in a good position; the Games could only go up from here.

As the room cleared out, the young woman was whistling as she tidied her notes from the meeting and organized them in a briefcase. She was oblivious to the fact that she and the President were the only two left lingering, as everyone else was excited to finally be able to relax after months of excruciating planning. When she finally glanced up and realized his presence, she smiled and wished him a good night.

"Excited for the Reapings tomorrow, I presume?" he queried.

"Yes, of course, sir. I can't wait to see who I have to work with!" she responded with her usual bubbly nature.

She moved to exit through the wooden door to her right, when the President suddenly stepped in front of her. Leaning in closely, as though he feared being overheard by the empty chairs and dimly lit hallways, he whispered in her ear,

"I trust that I won't be disappointed?"

The threatening nature of his comment was clear. No matter what happened last year, if the young woman didn't make a good first impression she wouldn't be back for a second term. The Head Gamemaker gulped nervously, but tried not to let it show.

"Of course not, sir, I wouldn't dream of it. I'll see you tomorrow to watch the Reapings, then?" She quickly plastered her smile back on.

"Yes, yes. Go along, get your rest. Tomorrow is a big day." President Snow smiled back at her, though remnants of the menace of his previous remark still shone bright in his eyes.

"Yes, sir. Have a good night!" The Head Gamemaker proceeded to smile, wave and quickly scuttle away from her less than saintly employer. President Snow watched her leave, amused. He had made his point clearly. She feared him, just as everyone did, but with good reason. He was the President of Panem; he was invincible.

"I will, don't you worry," he mumbled to himself. "And may the odds be ever in your favour… you're going to need it if you want to impress me."

**A/N I do not own the Hunger Games (I think every HG fanfiction writer wishes they did). On a side note, the concept of the previous Head Gamemaker being fired was NOT a shot at anyone else's story, just an idea I had. Thanks to everyone for their support so far! Now let's get on with the Reapings! :D**


	2. District Reapings 1-3

**A/N: Hello everyone! Here are the first of the Reapings. Please let me know what you think and if there are any errors feel free to tell me. I will do my best to fix them if there are. Thanks again everyone for all of your support!**

**District 1 Reapings**

Coldran woke up to the sound of his alarm radio blaring at him. He cracked his eyes open, squinting at the sunlight that snuck through his blinds, and groaned, remembering that there was no school that day. Why on earth had he left his alarm on? He lazily reached over to his night stand to hit the snooze button when suddenly his hand froze and his eyes snapped wide open. Today was Reaping Day. Today was the day he had been waiting for his entire life. Coldran flung the covers of his bed to the floor, jumped out with incredible speed and was about to run downstairs when he glanced down and noticed he was wearing nothing but his bright red boxer shorts. They were all the latest fashion in the Capitol, but they were definitely not what he was wearing to the Reaping, where he was going to have to make a good first impression on the Capitol people if he was planning on being the victor of the 36th Hunger Games.

"Crap, I can't go out there like this," he mumbled to himself.

Coldran turned around and began to dig through his dresser, looking for the perfect fashion statement. What he ended up settling upon was his nicest pair of blue jeans, a plain red shirt and the black shoes he had bought the day before for the occasion. He looked up at his mirror and saw that his hair was also going to need some work before he could walk the streets of District One with pride. He snatched a comb off of the top of the dresser and proceeded to hurriedly comb his smooth, black hair forward so that it covered his forehead, but not his hazel eyes that his aunt always told him were stunning. To finish off his look, Coldran grabbed his favourite black fedora from his bedpost, took one last look in the mirror and then finally went downstairs.

As he silently descended the steps to the main floor, he noticed his cousin Aldrew was already sitting at the table with his back to Coldran. _He makes this too easy_, Coldran thought as he snuck up behind Aldrew and wrapped his own arm around his cousin's neck, easily putting him into a headlock. Aldrew's gasp of surprise broke the silence in the room.

"Gotcha!" Coldran shouted before releasing his cousin.

"Man, you have got to stop doing that!" Aldrew shook his head as he rubbed his neck, chuckling to himself.

"I can't stop now, today's my big debut!" Coldran smiled wider than he ever had been known to smile before.

Instead of seeing his own excitement reflected in his cousin's face, Aldrew's grin disappeared and was replaced by a look of pure seriousness.

"What's wrong?" Coldran asked, concerned by his cousin's quick change in demeanor.

"Are you sure you want to do this? I mean, right now? You could wait a few years, you know, you're only fifteen – "

"I'm sure." Coldran cut Aldrew off. This had been one of his cousin's favourite topics of discussion as of late and this conversation had taken place many times.

"I can't wait any longer. I know this is my year," Coldran explained once more. "Besides, you know why I have to do this."

Aldrew did know. This, winning the Hunger Games, had been Coldran's dream for almost his entire life. When Coldran was a toddler, his young parents were both killed in the Hunger Games. They had volunteered because they thought that the riches that came with winning would ensure that they, along with Coldran, would live nothing short of a life of luxury. Unfortunately, both of them came up short in realizing their dreams, leaving Coldran an orphan. That was when Aldrew's mother and father, Coldran's aunt and uncle, took Coldran in and made him part of their family; even paying for the training he would need in order to avenge his parents like he had always wanted. The extra expense didn't make a difference to them; the family was practically made of money, but it meant the world to Coldran. Aldrew understood his cousin's feelings and knew that Coldran thought that if _he_ didn't avenge his parent's deaths, then no one would. There was no talking him down from it now.

The cousins sat in silence for a few more minutes while eating their breakfasts and contemplating what the next weeks would bring. Finally the two other members of their family, Coldran's aunt and uncle, came downstairs extravagantly dressed.

"Are you boys ready to go?" Coldran's uncle asked. His aunt stood next to him smiled excitedly at the two of them. Everyone in the family was well aware that Coldran planned to volunteer this year and Aldrew appeared to be the only one who was even the slightest bit worried. They all knew that eighteen year-olds stood a much better chance than fifteen year-olds, but while Coldran's surrogate parents trusted that he knew what he was doing and would be able to bring home a victory for District One, Aldrew had on multiple occasions tried to convince Coldran to wait another couple of years. But the boy was stubborn and he would never give up in pursuing what he wanted. Aldrew supposed that was a good thing, but in this case he wished that the boy he was able to call his best friend and brother would be just a little more flexible.

Coldran, on the other hand, showed no sign of fear whatsoever. "Yeah, just one more minute. Let me finish my eggs," he responded.

"Alright, we'll meet you there. Good luck!" They smiled, waved and walked out the front door.

Seconds later, Coldran finished his breakfast and went over to the kitchen to put his plate in the dishwasher. When he returned, Aldrew was already waiting for him at the door. His cousin grimly nodded to him, "You ready?" he asked.

"Let's do this," Coldran said confidently.

* * *

The sound of the axe embedding itself in the wooden target on the other side of the training room produced a thud that satisfied Saphire Gelding. She smirked in approval and decided to take a break from honing her skills before the Reaping later that day. She found her water bottle where she had left it on a bench not too far away and sat down. Saphire drank steadily for a few moments, quenching her thirst. She then looked around and admired the place where she had spent years training for this very day. It was empty now; no one was up this early on Reaping Day. But that was why Saphire prided herself upon being the most dedicated trainee District One had to offer and that was why she was going to be the next Hunger Games victor. She had the determination and the willpower to follow it through to the very end, which was just what she intended to do.

Saphire pulled her long, blonde hair back out of her face, grabbed another axe and was about to get up and recommence her practise, when the door to the training room flew open with a crash and in stumbled her aunt, Graceful Gelding, in a way that would not typically be described as gracefully.

"Saphire!" she exclaimed. "I've been looking everywhere for you! Why didn't you tell me where you were going?"

Saphire calmly walked over to where she had been practising earlier and resumed throwing her axe at the target. As she went to go retrieve it, she answered. "Sorry, I didn't think it would be a big deal. I'm just training. It's not the first time I've left early to come here."

Graceful's expression quickly changed from one of panic to one of love. "Saphire, darling, there's nothing left to practise. Today's the day! You're ready for this."

Saphire knew this was true, but she didn't regret coming to the training centre that morning. Working with her weapons always made her more calm and able to focus, which was just what she needed. When she woke up that morning, Saphire's head was spinning with excitement. She just wanted to get the Reaping over with already, but training helped her to calm her nerves and even formulate a plan.

"You're right, let's go home and get ready," Saphire replied. She smiled at her aunt and left the training building with her. As they walked to their car in the parking lot, Graceful put her arm around her niece and Saphire rested her head on her shoulder in turn. The pair of them had always been very close since Graceful took custody of Saphire when she was very young. When Saphire was born, neither of her parents were ready to or wanted to look after a baby. Luckily for Saphire, Graceful stepped in and has raised her like her own daughter ever since. It was thanks to her that Saphire was even able to train for the Hunger Games, since training does come at a monetary cost.

When they reached their glamorous home, Saphire's most recent step-uncle, Urim, was waiting for them. He was in the reclining chair that sat next to the picture window reading a newspaper, the sunlight streaming through the window made his thin grey hairs appear to glow. He must have been three times Graceful's age, but Saphire had long ago gotten used to how her aunt's love life worked. Urim would likely be dead five years from now, after writing his new wife into his will of course, and Graceful would have already moved on and would be scoping out her next target if not already remarried a year later.

It made Saphire happy to think that her aunt would not have to acquire money this way for very much longer. Saphire would win the Hunger Games, return bathed in riches, and the two of them would be able to live happily together in Victor's Village. It was her one and only wish that she would soon achieve that dream. And today was where the journey would start.

Saphire hid away in her room for hours that morning preparing herself for the day's events. She curled her luscious, golden hair and let it hang down past her shoulders. She donned a pale, almost see-through, sleeveless dress that cut off just below her knees and slipped her feet into flat shoes of a similar hue that each had a flower decal on the toe.

When she was finally ready to go she called her best friend Soloway to meet her at the town square for the Reaping. They both arrived at about the same time and signed in together. As they went to go stand in the seventeen year-old section together, they discussed their plans for the Games.

"Alright, so this year is mine and then I'll mentor you through it next year." Saphire whispered to her friend. Not that it was much of a secret; everyone at the training centre knew of their intents.

"Right," Soloway replied. She glanced behind her friend's head and unsuccessfully tried to stifle a laugh.

"What?" Saphire asked.

"Look behind you," Soloway answered. Saphire turned around and had the same reaction as her friend. In the isle to their left, two beautiful blonde-haired, blue-eyed girls who were not unlike Saphire in appearance (except Saphire's eyes were green) were trying to flirt with a muscular boy in the eighteen year-old section. The high pitched giggles and the fingers twirling strands of hair were the calling cards of girls who were trying too hard to be noticed and could be spotted from miles away. If there was one thing Saphire hated more than stupid people, it was dumb blondes. Saphire smirked and proceeded to cough just loudly enough for the girls to hear.

"Ehem, _fakes_, ehem!"

This bought her two glares from the Barbie doll wannabes in the isle who, clearly embarrassed said goodbye to their new friend and scuttled away to their sections. The buff-looking boy looked around, confused, and caught Saphire's eye, giving her a sheepish smile and a wink before returning to his section as well.

"For crying out loud, he thinks I'm just like them!" Saphire exclaimed. "Just because I'm blonde doesn't mean I'm stupid!" Soloway nodded encouragingly after her friend's statement.

"I'll show him! I'll show all of them!" Saphire continued on her tirade, though at a lower volume, throughout the mayor's speech and might have even missed her opportunity if Soloway hadn't calmed her down as the escort came up on stage.

"Good morning! Good morning!" she chirped. "It is that time of year again to choose the two lovely young people to represent District One in the 36th Annual Hunger Games!" A series of cheers erupted subsequently.

"To keep up with tradition, we will begin with the ladies!" You could have heard a pin drop in the square as the only noise present was the escort's heels clicking across the stage towards the glass ball that contained thousands of names. She plucked one out with her well-manicured fingers and opened her mouth to speak,

"—"

"I VOLUNTEER!" Saphire shrieked as loud as humanly possible and began to sprint towards the stage. A stampede of girls wishing to do the same ensued, but none of them could match Saphire's speed. As she ascended the steps to the stage, Saphire put on the largest smile she ever had worn in her life and approached the escort.

"Wonderful, darling, now what is your name?" the escort inquired.

"Saphire Gelding, or you can call me the next victor of the Hunger Games!" Saphire spun a lock of her hair around one finger and constantly shifted her wait from one foot to the other, all the while smiling like crazy. "I am honored to represent you all in the Capitol this year and I promise not to let you down!"

Anyone who knew Saphire would have looked upon the girl on the stage with awe. This girl was ditsy, blushing and overly perky; three things that Saphire never was, but this act was all part of the plan. Saphire kept to herself and only Soloway knew the real person behind the mask she was wearing.

* * *

Coldran gawked up at the beautiful girl who had taken the stage for a few seconds before shaking his head to clear it of thoughts and beginning to focus on his own volunteering strategy. _Maybe I should do what she did and just run for it_, he thought to himself. He was so deep in thought that Aldrew startled him when he leaned over and whispered,

"Dude, she is such an airhead. You could take her down in two seconds."

Coldran snapped himself back to reality and laughed lightly, trying to tell himself that it didn't matter how pretty his district partner was, because she had to die for him to avenge his parents. "Yeah, you're right," he mumbled. "Anyway, be quiet: it's almost time."

The escort scurried over to the other glass ball reached her hand in to grab another slip. Meanwhile, Coldran was giving himself a mini pep talk.

_Be cool, be cocky, be confident. Come on; walk up there like no one can touch you!_

"I VOLUNTEER!" he shouted, again it was before the name could be read. Coldran began walking up to the stage from his section. A couple other boys from the seventeen year-old section poked their heads out into the isle and stared at him in shock. Coldran just smiled back confidently and said,

"No need, boys, I got this." He continued to strut up to the stage and took his place next to Saphire.

"Another volunteer, how nice," the escort continued along with proceedings. "What is your name?"

"Coldran Elias," he responded.

"Alright, well that's lovely. Saphire and Coldran, please shake hands." She gestured to the two of them to do so. When they did, Saphire gave Coldran a little wink and you could have seen him blushing all the way from the Capitol. He quickly turned his face away from the cameras afterwards and both of District One's newest tributes walked into the Justice Building.

**District 2 Reapings**

Amity Night was stretched out on her couch; her long brown hair splayed out across the soft pillow, and was watching her recording she had bought of the 34th Hunger Games before the Reaping later that morning. She hadn't bothered buying the 35th Games after it was such a disaster; there was nothing to learn from that one. She was eating a piece of peanut butter toast and drinking a glass of milk. Sitting on the carpeted floor in front of her were her siblings, fourteen year-old Kate and six year-old Glen. They were playing the new board game that Glen had got for his birthday last week. Kate glanced up at her sister and asked,

"Amity, are you going to volunteer this year?"

Amity smiled kindly at her sister, "Probably not. I'll keep training for next year and I'll be even stronger then. I'm only seventeen you know; this isn't my last shot at it or anything. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, um… no reason," her sister replied, quickly looking away. "I was just wondering."

The two sisters then went back to what they had been doing, but Amity couldn't focus on the previous victor's strategies any more. She was thinking about her boyfriend, Crisper. They had gotten into a fight two weeks ago and hadn't talked to each other since. It was a stupid little thing that really didn't matter, just like all of their fights were over. Amity felt like Crisper had been ignoring her for his best friend, Jet, and Crisper took it personally. Neither of them were really able to express how they felt so they both just walked away. Amity felt bad about not reconciling things with him, but she kept telling herself, _I'll do it tomorrow_.

Absentmindedly, Amity reached down to pet her dog, Jada, who was lying next to her on the couch. Jada was an eight year-old Rottweiler and she had been a part of Amity's life since her ninth birthday. Not including her beloved pet, there were only five people Amity truly loved in the world; her parents, Kate, Glen… and Crisper. She loved him more than anything and she wished she knew how to make things right with him.

But that didn't matter right now. It was time to get ready for the Reaping. Amity would be a bystander this time, but next year she would volunteer and once she was in the arena she would show no mercy. It was what she had been training for years to accomplish. But she wasn't stupid; she wasn't going to volunteer before she was ready. And Amity felt like waiting one more year was the right thing to do.

A few moments later, her parents came downstairs.

"Alright, girls, no more lounging around. It's time to get ready," her mother said. "Glen, you come with me; you need to get cleaned up, too."

Amity sighed. Her mother was always so uptight on Reaping Day. Amity wished she would be more like her father; calm, cool and collected. Amity loved both of her parents with all of her heart but she had always found it easier to talk to her dad.

"You heard her, Kate, let's go get dressed," Amity addressed her sister. "You guys can finish the game later."

"Okay!" Kate replied.

Once Amity was alone in her room, she picked out what to wear. She ended up choosing a long black dress that hung just above her ankles with thin straps and a low neckline, along with silver sandals. She braided strands of her long chestnut coloured hair and eventually piled it all up into a very nice looking bun. She didn't put on any make up; no point when no cameras would be on her this year.

Amity came back downstairs and found that everyone was there except Kate.

"Is she still getting ready?" she directed the question at her father.

"I guess so," he replied. "I'm not sure why, though."

Another five minutes passed before Kate finally came to join the rest of them. She was wearing a white blouse with short sleeves and a blue jean skirt that in Amity's opinion was too short for her little sister. Amity had also never seen her sister wear so much make up in her life. Blush, lip gloss, eye shadow, mascara, the works.

"You do realize there is a better chance you'll be Reaped than there is that you'll get a close up on camera, right?" Amity laughed at the ridiculous measures her sister had taken to look older than her fourteen years.

Kate rolled her eyes and stormed out the door ahead of everyone else. Amity glanced over at her dad who simply shrugged and smiled at her.

The rest of the family proceeded to walk to the town square where the Reaping was being held. When they arrived there was no sign of Kate, but someone else Amity knew was in plain sight. Crisper was in line to sign in just twenty metres in front of her.

_Well, here's my chance,_ Amity thought to herself. She said goodbye to her family and set her sights on clearing things up with her boyfriend. When she was halfway across the space between them, she was intercepted by two of her friends from training Kirra and Nicklaus.

"Amity! Hey, how's it going?" Nicklaus asked. Her friends had stepped in front of her, unwittingly and effectively cutting her off from Crisper.

"Fine, fine, thanks. How about you guys? Neither of you are volunteering this year, right?" Amity responded.

"No, you know me," Kirra answered. "I'm really only training for the fun of it."

"Alright, well…" Amity glanced over to the line and saw that Crisper had moved on to his section already. She inwardly sighed, "We better get going to sign in!"

Kirra and Nicklaus smiled at her, completely unaware of their friend's distress. They three of them went to sign in together.

* * *

Crisper stood in the seventeen year-old male section with his best friend, Jet. They talked about meaningless things during the mayor's speech, trying to pass the time until the Reaping would start and Crisper would volunteer to go to the Capitol and win the Hunger Games for District Two. Crisper wasn't really in the conversation, though. He was thinking of Amity. He had seen her staring at him in line earlier, but she had never come to talk to him. Jet startled him when he voiced Crisper's thoughts exactly.

"You should talk to her," he said quietly.

"Why?" Crisper asked. "She obviously doesn't want to talk to me." He stared down at his polished black dress shoes for a moment. "Whatever, it's her loss. I'll volunteer and win and when I come home she'll see what she was missing… I just wish I'd gotten the chance to tell her that I was doing this."

"Yeah, well, she's going to find out soon enough, there's the escort."

Sure enough, District Two's escort pranced excitedly up onto the stage. He practically shouted into the microphone,

"Happy Hunger Games, citizens! Let's get right to the action." He waltzed over to the large glass ball containing all of the female names and drew one out.

"Margret Thilsbe," he exclaimed with a smile.

* * *

"I VOLUNTEER!"

Amity heard the chorus of shouts ring out across the square and thought nothing of it, as it was expected that District Two would have a large number of potential volunteers, but she was in shock when she saw who was moving to scale the steps,

"Kate!" She screamed at her sister, who paid no heed.

"KATE!" Amity ran up towards the steps, "What do you think you're doing?"

"Volunteering; what does it look like?" Kate smiled smugly and waved at the cameras.

"No, you're not. I'm not letting you do this!" Amity exclaimed.

"How do you plan on stopping me?" Kate asked defiantly.

Amity realised her sister was right. There was no way she was going to make Kate willingly give up her place.

"Someone, please! Someone come volunteer and get her off the stage! Anyone?"

But no one came. The drama was too delicious for anyone to end so quickly. Amity realized she was going to have to resolve this herself.

"Kate?" she asked her sister sweetly, "Would you come talk to me for two seconds?"

Kate sighed, "Fine, but only two," and made her way to the base of the stage to speak with Amity.

"Kate, why are you doing this?" Amity whispered.

"Why shouldn't I?" Kate retorted.

"I can think of a few good reasons: you're not ready, you're only fourteen, the rest of the Careers would probably turn on you in the blink of an eye –"

"I get it!" Kate shouted at her. "You want to know why I'm doing this, Amity? Maybe I want to do something great for the family too! You're the oldest and the one who's trained, Glen's the baby, but who am I? I'm going to show you that I can do stuff too, don't you get it?!"

Amity stared at her sister. She'd never known that Kate felt this way, which shocked her because they told each other everything.

"Kate, I –" Amity suddenly turned around and sprinted for the steps to the stage, leaving her sister behind. Kate started running a moment later but Amity's head start had given her all she had needed. Amity reached the escort, grabbed the microphone and burst out,

"My name is Amity Night and I volunteer!"

"Amity!" Kate shrieked.

"I'm sorry dear, what's done is done," the escort told the screaming girl just below the stage. "Amity would have to relinquish the position to you now."

"Which I'm not going to do," Amity cut in.

There was a stunned silence across the square until the escort realized that they weren't done yet.

"Alrighty, time to move on to our male tribute!" He screwed his smile back on and grabbed a slip from the other glass ball.

* * *

Crisper was in shock. Amity had volunteered. There was no possible way he could go through with doing the same now. _I still have one more year_, he thought. _I can wait._ But the entire training centre knew he was volunteering… except Amity, as she hadn't come to training since their fight started. Everyone would expect him to get up on that stage. Crisper figured if he didn't say anything for long enough, someone else would volunteer instead of him and everything would be alright. He couldn't have been more wrong.

"Crisper White!" The escort's bubbly voice rang out loud and clear.

Crisper swore under his breath. There was no getting out of it now. He was about to walk up looking depressed when he remembered that no matter how he felt there was still a show; people were still watching him. So he may as well look like he meant for this to happen. He put on a smile and strutted up to the stage, flipping his blond hair and showing off his well-toned muscles as he went. Amity stared at him in disbelief as they shook hands and entered the Justice building together.

_Looks like we're going to have that talk_, was the last thing Crisper thought before the doors slammed shut behind him.

**District 3 Reapings**

Py was sitting at the base of a tree sketching in his notebook. The light breeze brushed his messy black hair out of his eyes so he could see the paper in his lap. For the last hour he had been sketching the sun coming up between the tall buildings of District Three and trying to calm himself down before the Reapings. Py was sixteen years old; this was the third last time he would ever have to be corralled into a section and wait in fear of the fact that it could actually be his last, should he be chosen. Needless to say, Py was a little nervous. His brown eyes had deep bags underneath them, even though he had gotten a decent amount of rest the night before.

Py leaned back against the tree trunk and took a slow breath in, closing his eyes. When he opened them again, he found that he was no longer alone. His best and only friend from school, Spot Benneker, was walking towards him with her usual smile. He didn't understand how she could always be so cheerful when they lived in a world that kills children for entertainment. Spot came and sat down beside him.

"Hey Py," she said excitedly.

"Hey," Py responded. Though he didn't particularly enjoy being engaged in conversation, he could tolerate it for Spot.

A long silence then stretched out between the two of them as Py continued sketching and Spot watched on. Finally she broke the silence,

"You weren't at school yesterday," she uttered quietly.

Py sighed. Spot was always trying to look out for him and get him to stop skipping classes and he appreciated that she cared, but sometimes he wished she would just let him live his own life the way he wanted. And what he wanted to do was never go to that man's class again, "You know I can't stand Mr. Clegane and he can't stand me either, so it's best for everyone if I just don't show up."

"You can't let what he says get to you, Py," Spot replied optimistically.

"It's a little late for that; I'm pretty sure I already have. That's why I don't go. If I ever did show up again he would just make fun of me the whole time, just like he always does. Besides, I don't like biology anyway."

Spot didn't know what else she could say to try to convince him it was worth it to come back to class again. Py was so stubborn sometimes, it was ridiculous. If he didn't want to do something, that was that. There was no changing his mind about anything; especially not about Mr. Clegane.

This time it was Spot's turn to sigh in defeat. It was time to move on from this subject.

"So, what are you doing after the Reaping?" she asked him.

"Can we please not talk about the Reaping?" he replied.

"Oh," Spot said. "Well, what can we talk about then? There must be something good going on that we could –"

"Like what?" Py shouted in frustration. "There is absolutely nothing good about today! Two kids are going to get carted off to their deaths! It could be you, it could be me! There is nothing for you to be happy about right now!"

Py picked up his notebook and stormed away, leaving Spot dumbfounded next to the tree. He ran all the way home where his mother, Dora, had made him breakfast. He sat down at the table and stared at his plate as he ate. Dora could tell there was something wrong with her son.

"Are you okay, Py?" she asked.

Py said nothing for a moment, then responded, "I'm as okay as I'm going to be."

Dora smiled sadly and came around the table and put her hands on her son's shoulders. "Everything's going to be okay," she said. "I promise."

"You can't promise anything. None of us have any control over what's going to happen today." Py mumbled dejectedly. His mother stayed with him until he had finished eating and then they both went upstairs to get ready. Py put on one of his nicer shirts. It was light blue with green vertical stripes. He also decided to wear his newest black pants and shoes. After all, it was a "special occasion".

Once Py was ready, he walked to where the Reaping was being held with his mother where they reluctantly parted ways, but not before his mother kissed him on the cheek and told him she loved him, and just like always Py told her the same in return. Py then went to sign in; fear causing his heart rate to increase every second.

* * *

Moira Coriander was alone in her room and that was just the way she liked it. She was sitting cross-legged in her bead while reading the romance novel she had taken out from the library yesterday and was already almost finished it. She was going to have to go back soon to get another one, she thought to herself, but the library wouldn't be open today. It was Reaping Day. Just thinking the words sent a chill down her spine. She shook herself to get rid of the feeling, which sent her dark brown bangs flying into her eyes. Moira swept them aside, adjusted her thin, round glasses and continued reading to take her mind off of what was to come that day.

Moira loved romance novels; writing them, reading them or just anything to do with them. She was seventeen years old and had never had a boyfriend, so reading about the love life of a character was as close as she had ever gotten. There had been a boy she liked once when she was younger, named Justin, but that had ended badly to say the least. They had been best friends for the longest time as children, until one day she learned he had been talking about her behind her back and telling people he hated her. They weren't close anymore after that, though Moira still secretly had a crush on him. A few years ago, when they were in grade eight, he had asked her out on a date. Moira had excitedly gone and waited for him, hoping that he had realized he loved her as much as she loved him, and she had kept waiting and waiting and waiting, but he never showed up. After the fact she learned that his friends had dared him to ask her out and he didn't have any feelings for her whatsoever. Moira was devastated and from then on stuck to getting her fill of romance from books and only books.

She certainly had plenty of time to read. She had no friends to spend time with and she didn't feel like she could talk to anyone in her family. Her father was openly in love with two different women, who both lived in their home. Moira's mother had been bitter and resentful ever since her husband invited his "friend" to come live with them and she tended to take it out on Moira with cruel words and uncaring actions. Moira's father's "friend" treated Moira like she was an embarrassment to the family after they found out she had a mental disorder, which Moira found unfair. Her problem didn't change who she was; if anything it… added to her. Moira also wouldn't talk to her father because she blamed him for their dysfunctional family.

Just then there was a loud knock on her door.

"Moira!" her mother shouted. "Aren't you getting ready yet? The Reaping is in half an hour and if you don't get your butt in gear right now you're going to be late!" The raging woman on the other side of the door didn't wait to get a response and stormed off again as quickly as she had come.

Moira sighed. As much as she hated to admit it, it was time to go. She put on a solid dark blue shirt and a floral patterned skirt. She also braided her long hair into two braids that reached just above her waist. Walking down the hallway towards the front door, Moira adjusted her glasses one more time and then left the house; not bothering to tell anyone she was leaving.

"They wouldn't care anyway," she mumbled to herself as she shut the door behind her.

Moira walked quickly and silently to where the Reaping was being held, trying to stay out of everyone's way. Once she signed in she slipped into her section and got as far away from the stage and everyone else as she could, but that didn't stop the strange glances that came her way. Moira could hear snippets of conversation around her, where the words "freak" and "psycho" were commonly used and obviously directed at her. Moira just kept her nose in her book which she had brought with her and tried to ignore it all. But she couldn't ignore the real world forever, as the mayor's usual speech had ended and this year's escort mounted the stage.

"Hello! Hello! Happy Hunger Games!" she exclaimed, "And may the odds be ever in your favour!" She squealed into the microphone loudly enough to make the crowd cringe. "I just love that saying that! Don't you?"

After receiving a less than overwhelmingly positive response, she carried on with her duties.

"It is time to select the young lady who will represent you all in this year's Games!" She moved towards one of the large glass balls on stage, moved her hand around in the bowl for a moment and then snatched up a single slip. Unfolding it, she quickly walked back to the microphone and read the name it contained aloud,

"Moira Coriander!"

Moira froze. There was a bunch of mumbling in the crowd, as though they were all asking each other who this person was, but Moira could not hear it anymore. She was in complete shock. _You can't pass out, you can't pass out_,she told herself. _That will only make things worse. _Moira took a deep breath, took one step forward…

And crumpled into a heap on the ground.

Before the crowd could even notice she had fallen, the girl was back on her feet again. After a Peacekeeper approached her and told her to hurry up she ran towards the stage, scaled the steps with incredible speed and snatched the microphone from the escort.

"Hey District Three, I'm so excited to be here! It is such an honour to know that I can represent you in the arena and tear apart the limbs of innocent children until I'm the only one alive! Doesn't that sound like fun?" The girl stared at the audience with genuine excitement in her eyes. "Anyway," she continued, "I promise to put on a good show for you! You won't be disappointed! Now, don't forget the name of your next victor, because I'm –"

"Alright honey, that's enough." The escort managed to regain control of the microphone.

"But I was just getting started!" the girl whined.

The escort ignored her. Visibly shaken, she put on a fake smile and said, "Time to pick our male tribute!"

After almost running to and from the other ball, barely stopping to grab a slip, she leaned into the microphone and exclaimed,

"Python Codet!"

* * *

"NO!" Py shouted, causing everyone to turn and stare at him. _No, no, no, no, no,_ he thought, _I can't be in the Hunger Games! I'll die! I don't want to die._ Py's breathing was rapidly increasing. He wrapped his arms around himself in a useless attempt to calm down, but Peacekeepers grabbed him and walked him quickly up to the stage to join his mentally deranged district partner.

"Was there anything you wanted to say?" the escort asked.

Py quickly shook his head no with his arms still clinging to his body. He shook hands with the girl named Moira and as he did she smiled at him with a sadistic glee in her eyes, as if she couldn't wait to rip him to shreds like she had said. Py stifled a shiver and turned to enter the Justice building. He couldn't wait to get away from her.


	3. District Reapings 4-6

**A/N: Alright, well that only took forever. I'm very sorry that it took me… well, a month to update. I was away on vacation and got little to no writing done during that time. The rest of the time I was just being lazy. Sorry. But I'm back now, so let's meet some more tributes!**

**District 4 Reapings**

Kevin stared out at the endless expanse of ocean in front of him. Sitting on the sand of the beach at the end of his street in his favourite swim trunks, he could feel the sun's rays beating down on his golden brown skin. Kevin lay down and let the burning hot sand scorch his back as he ran his hands through his dark brown hair and squinted his eyes against the bright sunlight.

He was still exhausted from a long day of training the day before and he wished he could lie on the beach for the rest of the day. But at the same time he knew that wasn't going to happen. It was Reaping Day, so he would have to get up to get ready eventually or he would be late. And being late to the Reaping, or not showing up at all, is a mistake you just don't make.

Kevin wished he had skipped the training sessions of the day before. All everyone was talking about was how he should volunteer this year. The trainers, the other kids, everyone. _Like I'm going to do that_, Kevin chuckled to himself. He liked training because it was something fun to do and no other reason besides that. His parents, on the other hand, were so proud of him for being a top training student that Kevin's father gave him his Xiphos. Kevin like the sword; it was relatively short, easy to handle and highly effective. Sure he enjoyed winning a fight, but Kevin wasn't stupid. He wasn't going to go and put himself in a dangerous situation on purpose: not for anyone. And that was exactly what volunteering would be; stupid.

The waves kept crashing on the shore in a soothing fashion. Whenever one had soaked the sand and returned to its home in the sea, another would come to take its place. The rhythmic pattern of it allowed Kevin to relax, his breathing the same pace as the sea. Everything was perfect.

"Kevin, what the hell are you doing?" Kevin was rudely snapped out of his stupor by the sound of his older brother, Talon, running towards him.

_Oh crap_, he thought. He had fallen asleep and not gone back when he was supposed to. Kevin sighed, obviously if his brother was here instead of Peacekeepers it meant he wasn't late… yet. Suddenly his brother was leaning over him, his light brown hair blowing in the wind and staring at him with piercing brown eyes

"Mom and Dad have been looking for you for hours, man! The Reaping starts in forty-five minutes! You better get your butt back to that house if –"

Kevin never heard the end of his brother's sentence as he was already up and running back home. He called back an apology and then was on his way. He wouldn't admit it to Talon, but he really looked up to his brother and hated disappointing him.

Once he was approaching his house, Kevin decided he needed a plan of action to get in unnoticed. Maybe he could get in and get out fast enough that his parents wouldn't be home yet to yell at him. When he went in through the back door of his house and into the kitchen, he couldn't hear anyone. He quickly turned around the corner and went up the stairs to his room. Once inside, he immediately yanked open his closet door and looked through it for something to wear. He settled on a sea green polo shirt that matched his eyes and his nicest pair of shorts. It was way too hot out for jeans, he decided. When he was ready to go he backed out of his room, easing the door closed behind him, and ran right into,

"Jimmy! Geez, you scared me. I thought you were –"

"Mom and Dad?" Kevin's fourteen year-old brother concluded for him with his skinny arms on his hips. He actually looked pretty good all dressed up with his light brown hair styled with hairspray. He looked a lot like his two older brothers.

"Yeah. Listen, I –"

"Don't want to talk to them right now? I'll tell them you're at the Reaping."

Kevin laughed. _He knows me too well_. "Thanks, little bro."

Kevin walked to the Reaping alone, watching other families as he went. There were twelve year-olds crying at the thought of being Reaped with parents who could do nothing to console them. For all they knew, this was the last day they would see their child. District Four was technically a Career District, but for the last couple years the Training Centre had difficulty pulling together volunteers. Kevin realized that he had never heard who the male volunteer was to be. Maybe they didn't have one. That was probably why everyone was riding on him to step up; so that District Four would have a chance instead of sending a twelve or thirteen year-old off to their death.

_Maybe I would do it, if it was a little kid like that… or if it was Jimmy_, Kevin thought to himself. He had totally forgotten that it wasn't just his own life he had to worry about anymore. Now that Talon was too old to be reaped or volunteer is was his responsibility to look after Jimmy. _He's not strong enough, he's barely trained. The Careers would never accept him… or if they did they would kill him off after the Blood Bath._ Yes, Kevin decided, he would volunteer for his brother if it came to that, but he was getting ahead of himself. Chances were Jimmy would be fine this year, with only three slips in the bowl.

When he arrived at the town square in front of the Justice Building, Kevin started looking around for his friend, Robert. It would be easy to find him, with his head that sticks up above most others full of silky, smooth, black hair that curls around his ears. Once Kevin spotted Robert, he started moving towards him through the crowd.

"Rob!" he tried to shout above the noise. "Robby! Excuse me, pardon me." He slowly worked his way around the children going to sign in and got to the other side of the sea of people; where Robert was.

"Hey Robby!" Kevin smiled and waved.

"Hey Kev," Robert replied

"You nervous?" Kevin asked

"What kind of a question is that?" Robert lightheartedly countered. "Of course I'm nervous! I don't want to be in the freaking Hunger Games!"

That was one of the many things that Kevin loved about Robert. He always spoke his mind and said what he really thought no matter how other people might react. Robert refused to formally train for the Games, though he did work out on his own time. It was impossible for Kevin to ignore how well toned his friend's body was. Despite that, Robert swore he would never pick up a weapon. It was against his principles and Kevin respected him for always standing up for what he believed in. Kevin didn't like the concept of the Hunger Games either, but he was all too willing to train so he could fit in. Robert didn't care about fitting in; he was his own person.

"Kev," Robert waved his hand in front of his friend's face. "Snap out of it, you're staring at me again. You know what that means. You're thinking about something too hard."

That's what Kevin always told Robert he was doing when he caught Kevin staring at him. He was zoned out; thinking.

Kevin laughed, "Yeah, you're right. Let's go sign in."

* * *

"Amanoth, focus!" Amor's father shouted at her.

"Sorry, dad, it's just… ooh look at that pretty bird over there! You see it? It's all blue and yellow and… I wonder how high it can fly. I wish I could fly. That would be awesome, wouldn't it?"

"What did I just say to you?" her father questioned.

"Umm… uhh…"

"Exactly. Now focus on me. You're never going to win the Hunger Games if you don't learn to focus."

Amor laughed at her father, "I could win the Hunger Games with my eyes closed," she closed her eyes and threw a couple of punches at the air. "But if you want I can wait another year. I'm fifteen, I've got lots of time. I'll be even better next year… that is, if it's even possible to be any better than I am right now."

"You could be a lot better as a matter of fact and don't you question me! If I say you are volunteering this year, then you are volunteering this year!"

"Fine, fine," Amor mumbled.

"Good, that's my girl. Now go for your run."

"What! Dad, it's Reaping Day!" she exclaimed.

"Yes, it is, and you need every last ounce of training you can get. Now go, I'll see you in twenty minutes."

Amor sighed; there was no getting around this one. She left their front yard and started running down the street. After about a minute and a half of running she turned the corner at the end of their street and immediately allowed her pace to slow to a walk.

"Twenty minute run? Yeah, right! Who can do that? Maybe a cheetah, or a gazelle, or…" Amor vented to herself. At least this was some time for her to be by herself instead of under her father's close supervision. She kept walking to the park a few blocks away and when she got there she sat down at the fountain. It was spraying water that turned into a fine mist in the wind. Amor loved the feeling of being lightly dusted with little droplets of wetness, plus it made her look like she had been sweating when she got home.

"I can't wait until next year when I'm old enough to drive. I won't have to run anywhere ever again." She said aloud. Her straight blonde hair was starting to cling to her face from the water. When she looked into the fountain, she saw herself staring back; pale complexion, blue eyes and all. Her hair was a tangled mess, as she could see now from her reflection. She would definitely have to fix that before the Reaping.

Amor took a look at her watch, five minutes before she had to be home. It was time to start heading back in order to be on time for her father. Amor took one last look in the fountain and this time, instead of seeing herself, she saw all of the coins sitting at the bottom of the fountain. As she alternated between jogging and walking home in order to not be late she thought about it. _Why would someone throw money in a fountain? It's such a waste. You could have saved up to buy some candy or a new movie or… well, anything! Oh wait, isn't there some old thing where, like, you make a wish when you throw the coin in the fountain? I wonder what those people wished for. Maybe a car, or a… oh! I would wish that I could fly. That would be so cool. Why can't humans fly? I mean we have planes and stuff but… hey look, there's a plane! That's so cool, I was just thinking about… I wonder how fast it goes. Probably pretty fast. Faster than I can run, that's for sure. Oh yeah, running…_

Amor was about to round the last corner before her house where she would have to start full out running again just in case her father was watching. She sprinted all the way back home and went in the front door.

"Hello Amanoth, how was your run?" Amor's father asked from his position reading at the kitchen table.

"Good. How much time do I have before the Reaping?" she quickly changed the subject.

"About an hour," her father answered.

"Okay, thanks!" she relied.

Amor ran upstairs to start getting ready. She took a quick shower and then dried and curled her hair. Amor didn't like her straight hair because she thought it looked dull and boring, so she usually curled it for special events. When she finished, she realized she still hadn't gotten dressed, so she slipped her favourite sky blue dress over her head while being as careful as possible not to mess up her hair. It fell just above her knees and her hair looked just as good as it had before. Amor finished her look off with a little make up; mascara, brown eye shadow and pink lip gloss. She smacked her lips on last time and then downstairs, where she and her father started to walk to the Reaping.

When they arrived it was very busy, so Amor quickly said goodbye to her father and went to go sign in. She stood in line alone and once the Peacekeeper got her blood sample she went to her fifteen year-old section and waited alone there as well. Amor didn't really have any close friends. She knew everyone and everyone knew her, but there was no one she would consider her best friend.

Luckily it didn't take long for things to start. The mayor's speech went by quickly and soon the escort was up on stage.

"Alright! Hello everyone! I am very pleased to be District Four's escort again this year. It is really an honour to be brought back to such a wonderful district. But enough about me, let's get on to the good stuff. Ladies first…"

She walked to the girls Reaping ball with a few quick strides and pulled out a name. But before she could read it,

"I volunteer!" Amor quickly ran up to the stage, not that anyone was fighting her for the position.

"And what's your name, dear?" the escort asked.

"Amanoth Morthal, but you can call me Amor."

"Wonderful! Now, on to the boys."

* * *

Kevin stood with Robert in the seventeen year-old section. He was quaking with fear. What if it was Jimmy? His younger brother would be mad at him for volunteering, but he would do it anyway. A sudden thought hit Kevin; what if it was Robert? He resisted the urge to gasp out loud at the idea. Robert had never trained with a weapon and he would likely let himself be killed before he would kill someone else. If Robert went up on that stage, Kevin would never see him again and he couldn't stand to let that happen. Robert was so much more than a friend to him and Kevin was not willing to let that go. _If his name was called, I would volunteer for him too_, Kevin decided.

The escort pulled the name out of the bowl and read it aloud,

"Kevin Davenport."

Kevin's mouth dropped open in shock. He had spent so much time preparing to volunteer for those he cared about that he completely ignored the possibility that he himself could be Reaped. He felt Robert pat him on the shoulder,

"I'm so sorry," he heard him whisper.

Kevin slowly walked up to the stage and took his place next to the girl named Amor. The escort asked them to shake hands and Kevin did so without saying a word. But if you looked closely before he turned to walk into the Justice Building, you could see a single tear sliding down his cheek.

**District 5 Reapings**

_Ava ran blindly through the foliage, hearing nothing but her sister's screams piercing the tranquility of the jungle. Large leaves from the bushes surrounding her slapped her in the face as she sprinted towards the noise. Strange insects buzzed in her ears and birds rustled the branches of trees in the canopy, but Ava brushed them aside and continued pushing forward in search of her sister. It was painfully hot and humid and Ava was becoming more tired by the second, but she could not rest until she knew Falter was safe._

_After crashing through plant after plant, Ava finally burst out of the thick vegetation and found herself on a beach looking out to the ocean. The sky and the sea were both a pure, perfect blue and the waves lapped calmly up onto the pale sand, but amidst all of this beauty the shrieks of a dying girl were louder than ever before. Ava snapped her head around violently; desperate to find her sister, when she spotted the source of the noise in the distance to her left. She immediately started running again, this time with a clear destination in sight. She was only twenty feet away from reaching Falter when suddenly the screaming stopped. _

_Seconds later, a cannon fired and maniacal laughter replaced the screams. Falter's killer was still crouched with her back to Ava over the dead body and ripping it apart with a knife. There were ribbons of red running down Falter's arms and the girl who killed her had carved her name across them: Larissa Elvira. Seeing the words sent shivers down Ava's spine. This girl from District Two did not own her sister. She had no right to take her life._

_Screaming in fury, Ava picked up a sword that the girl had carelessly left behind her while mutilating Falter and raised it above her head. She took one last look in her dead sister's eyes; glazed over and filled with sorrow and defeat, and brought the sword down…_

Ava shot straight up in bed, sweat making her short, dark brown hair stick to her face, and breathed heavily for a moment. She looked around her room and saw only darkness. The battle on the beach was nowhere to be found. As her breathing slowed, Ava lied back down in her bed and tried to relax, telling herself Larissa was gone. She had to fight back tears when the realization hit her that it meant her sister was gone too. It had been three years since that scene she had just dreamt had happened in real life, only Ava hadn't been there to avenge Falter's death like she tried to do in her dreams. But even in her dreams, just as she was about to kill the girl who killed her sister she always woke up.

Ava tossed and turned from one side to the other in her bed, knowing that returning to sleep would be impossible. She sighed and rolled out of bed, sure of her steps even though it was dark. Ava had been unable to get a full night of sleep since her sister had been slaughtered in the thirty-third Hunger Games and she had gotten used to being the only one awake in the dark house. She went to the bathroom and splashed some cool water on her tanned, freckled face in an attempt to forget what was coming with the sunrise. Reaping Day: the very thing that had ripped her sister away from her. Everything Ava did reminded her of Falter. Her older sister had been her best friend, her role model and the person she loved more than anyone else in the world. Larissa from District Two had taken everything from Ava on her road to becoming a victor. Why did that girl get to come home to her family while Falter did not? It just wasn't fair.

The sun was starting to peak above the horizon, so Ava went to the kitchen to make herself breakfast. There weren't very many options because both of Ava's parents were between paychecks that week, but there was enough for a family of three to live on. Ava sliced some bread to eat and sat down on the couch by the window to watch the sun rise on yet another day. A day that would bring sadness and grief to two more families living in District Five, nonetheless. And none of them could do anything to prevent it from happening. Ava wished it would just all stop. The Hunger Games, the oppression: all of it. And if she couldn't get that she just wished she could see Falter again.

"Ava? You're up already?" Her father's voice startled her as it broke the still silence of the morning.

"Yeah, I couldn't sleep," Ava replied. "I never sleep. Especially not today."

Robert Fuze knew that his daughter suffered from insomnia and it pained him that he couldn't afford medication for her. His first priority was and always had been putting food on the table and that was all his salary would allow for. He sat down next to Ava on the couch and put his arm around her.

"I'm scared, dad," she whispered.

"I know, honey, but think about it. You're 16 now and you're getting closer and closer every day to being done with these Reapings. Just think about how great that will feel; not being afraid of them anymore. It will all be over soon."

"But it won't be!" Ava exclaimed. "Even when I can't be reaped anymore, someone else will. Maybe my kids, my grandkids even, if someone doesn't do something to stop it soon. Every year someone else will lose their child, their brother…" she gulped before continuing, "their sister. The Capitol is just going to keep screwing us until someone brings them down." She stopped for a moment and looked into her father's pained eyes. She quickly looked away, "I'm sorry, dad, I know you and mom don't like it when I blurt things out like that."

Instead of agreeing with his daughter like he usually would about her lack of a filter, Robert stared at Ava and spoke with confidence, "Don't be sorry; you're right. But there's nothing we can do about it right now, so let's just try to focus on protecting our own family for now, okay? I couldn't bear to see you getting in trouble."

Ava nodded; she understood him perfectly. She knew her father had become even more terrified of losing her than usual after Falter died. Becoming a rebel was risky business and Ava didn't have the heart to hurt her family further. _Woah, where are these thoughts coming from? Would I really be a rebel if I could?_ Ava thought to herself. She didn't have time to decide as just then her mother came downstairs for breakfast. Maya Fuze smiled at her daughter with tired eyes and in that moment Ava could tell she had been having nightmares too. Maya had been out late working the night before and likely hadn't gotten much more sleep than Ava.

The family finished breakfast together and then got ready for the events of the day. Ava put on a floral patterned dress that had been Falter's until this day three years ago and went downstairs to walk with her family to the Reaping.

* * *

Ashton Welder was sitting on his front steps as the sun rose with his legs crossed and his eyes closed. He concentrated on getting his breathing down to a slow, steady rate while birds stirred in their nests and sang their early morning songs. He always found it helpful to meditate a bit before a stressful day and that was certainly what today would be. Reapings always put him into a depressed mood and he wanted to try to prevent that this year.

Taking one last deep breath, Ashton opened his eyes to the world again and felt much more relaxed than he had when he woke up that morning. He got up, stretched his arms above his head and looked at the blue sky above him. It reflected the pure, clear colour of his eyes back at him. Ashton smiled to himself about how such a little thing could be so beautiful and then went back inside his small home.

It was always quiet and lonely in the house ever since his family had died. A year ago today he and his older brother Thomas were wrestling on the couch while his mother made pancakes for breakfast and his father read the newspaper at the kitchen table with his ritual cup of coffee. Happiness and the smell of baked goods permeated the home. Ashton could almost still hear it and smell it.

When he came out of this daze he felt lonelier than ever. He would never have his family around him again, he remembered, unless he decided to move into the district's grave yard. And even then they would not be the happy lively people he had known.

Ashton's father had co-owned a convenience store in the nicer part of District Five that had been run as a family business for generations. Ashton's uncle was the other owner and it had been this way ever since Ashton's grandparents had died. Ashton had been thirteen years old and hadn't been old enough to work there, though he still hung around at the store a lot, but Thomas had been sixteen so he worked a few shifts a week stocking shelves and keeping the place clean. His mother ran sales through at the front counter and kept the books straight. Ashton's father and uncle did everything else like ordering stock and taking inventory. It was just bad luck that all of them had been there when things went terribly wrong.

_A man entered the store and went straight to Ashton's mother at the front counter. He demanded that she hand over all of the money in the cash register and when she hesitated and tried to call her husband the man revealed that he was carrying a gun and shot her point blank in the head, killing her instantly. She barely had time to scream for help. Upon hearing his wife's screams and the gun shot, Ashton's father had left the little back room in which he and Ashton's uncle had been having a meeting to discuss the month's sales and cautiously investigated the sound, armed with a crowbar. When he peeked around the corner and saw his wife lying in a pool of blood with a man standing over her raiding the cash register, he couldn't help but gasp in disbelief. Unfortunately he had been loud enough for the robber to hear and the ruthless man behind the counter did not think twice about shooting down the face that could be seen craning from behind a wall for a glimpse of the scene._

_The robber continued emptying the register, unhappy with just how little there was, when Thomas had strolled in, whistling happily, while carrying in a new delivery from a truck outside and had missed all of the action. When he saw both of his parents dead on the floor and the robber wielding a gun, his eyes widened like a deer caught in the headlights of a car. The man suddenly noticed his arrival and snarled at Thomas as if to say _"Won't these people just leave me alone!"_ and raised the gun the shoot._

_There was a loud bang followed by the robber's body sinking to the floor. Behind him stood Ashton's uncle, wielding a bloody crowbar that he had taken from his brother's body. He looked up from the unconscious man on the ground and saw that he had been moments too late. The loud bang he had heard had been the robber pulling the trigger and releasing the bullet that hit Thomas in the chest. The boy was lying in a pool of his own blood, but was still alive. His uncle called for an ambulance, then the police. The man responsible for all of this was hung for his crimes and Thomas was taken to the hospital in critical condition…_

Ashton remembered that last night at the hospital with his brother. They were alone together since their uncle was being interviewed by the police to learn what had happened. Ashton had only been spared that afternoon because he had been out with his friends at a movie instead of in the store.

_Thomas had let Ashton crawl up on the hospital bed beside him. Ashton was crying and clinging to his brother like he was life itself; and to him he was. Ashton loved Thomas more than anything and he was terrified of losing him. His brother held him tight even though the pain in his chest where the bullet had punctured a major artery was unbearable. The red spot showing through his white bandages was getting larger and larger. It was only a matter of time before he would bleed out. Ashton's uncle didn't have the money to pay for the surgery he needed. There was nothing the doctors could do for him except keep him comfortable with a warm bed and pain medication that had yet to kick in, but Thomas refused to cry. He wanted to be strong for his little brother. Ashton needed him and Thomas knew he wasn't going to be there for him much longer._

"_Ashton, you are strong." He whispered, trying not to choke himself up. "Stronger than anyone I know. You and Uncle Jack will be fine, I promise. I will always be watching over you and I will protect you. We'll see each other again one day, don't you worry. I love you, Ashton."_

"_I—love," Ashton was gasping for air in between words and fighting back another onslaught of tears, "you—too. You know that–right?"_

"_Of course I do, buddy. It'll be alright. It'll be alright." Thomas didn't even believe his own words anymore._

"_Please—don't leave me—Tom!" Ashton started bawling again. Sobs racked his body until he couldn't see anything anymore through the tears, so he closed his eyes… and so did Thomas. As his little brother cried himself to sleep, Thomas slowly and peacefully slipped away from the world. When Ashton woke up the next morning…_

He was gone. That's how quickly it all had happened. One day Ashton had lived with a loving family, the next he was an orphan living with his uncle. Even that didn't last long. Uncle Jack committed suicide a month later after he had gone into a deep depression over how he didn't act fast enough to save Thomas. After that, Ashton was completely alone. He had enough money to get by on and keep the house as he had gotten everything from his parents and his uncle including all of the money from the store. Ashton now lived by himself in a house that had once serviced a family of four and was now about to face his third Reaping, but his first while living alone.

After dressing himself in a checkered shirt of many shades of blue and a black pair of pants, he tamed his wild curly brown hair with a comb. When he was finished cleaning himself up, he locked the doors to the house and walked to the Reaping.

* * *

When Ava and her parents arrived at the town square, the energy there was so tense that she could feel it swirling in the air around her. There were quiet whispers everywhere between friends, family, parents and children. No matter where you looked, the nervousness that took of the district on this day was obvious. After saying goodbye to her parents, Ava went to get in line to sign in.

Quietly thinking to herself, Ava remembered her father's words. _You're getting closer and closer_. He was right, she admitted, but as she got closer and closer to not being eligible her odds got worse and worse. She'd been taking out tesserae for three years since her sister died, so that gave her thirteen slips in that bowl of names on stage. Ava sighed to herself; other kids had it worse, but there were also kids who had less than half of her slips at her age.

She was suddenly jerked back by her shoulders while a hand covered her eyes. An involuntary squeal left Ava's mouth. Struggling to escape, she shouted,

"Whoever that is, I swear I –"

"Relax, it's me," The hands released her and Ava turned around to see her best friend, Socket Marshall, smirking at her. "I figured I'd better let you go before you hurt me."

"Geez, don't scare me like that…" Ava saw at the questioning look on her friend's face. "Okay, so I admit it was _kind of_ funny." Both girls started laughing.

"You should have heard yourself scream," Socket continued.

"It was not a scream!" Ava retorted.

Socket paused for a moment, "You know what, you're right! It was more like the sound a dying mouse would make when –"

Ava punched her friend in the arm, effectively silencing her, "Shut up!"

Socket put on a puppy dog pout and tried to look hurt, "Ouch."

"Which part?" Ava asked smugly.

Socket snorted, "Nice one. Now come on, the line moved without us and we're almost at the front."

After signing in, the two girls went to stand in their sixteen year-old section. The Reaping ceremony started not long after. The two girls zoned out during the mayor's speech, as per usual. No one really cared about that part of the proceedings. But when the escort took the stage, you could have heard a pin drop.

"Good morning District Five!" she proclaimed in her strange, Capitol accent. "And Happy Hunger Games. We will get right down to business; ladies first. Oh! And may the odds be ever in your favour!"

When she was given no answer, she scurried over to the glass ball, stirred her hand around inside for a moment to build up suspense and then plucked one out in a very dramatic fashion. When she read the name aloud, four hearts stopped dead: those of two parents and those of two sixteen year-old girls.

"Ava Fuze!" the escort exclaimed with a smile.

Socket's head snapped to look at her friend, whose eyes had become wide in shock. Ava's hands started shaking uncontrollably and when she looked at Socket her eyes were now just a blank stare. She snapped back to reality, still shaking, as two Peacekeepers guided her to the stage where she took her place next to the escort.

"Hello, darling, how are you today?" The escort tilted the microphone towards Ava.

"Scared," she whispered and then slapped a hand over her mouth. _Idiot! _She thought. _You're not supposed to tell everyone that._

"I mean –" Ava tried to cover herself, but the escort had already moved on.

"Now, for the boys." She sauntered over to the male Reaping ball and drew a name in a similar style as she had for the girls.

"Ashton Welder!"

* * *

Ashton sighed and shook his head; _I should have known it was coming. I wasn't destined to survive. I just got lucky… and I doubt I'll get lucky twice._

He went up to the stage with no hassle, but didn't try to look happy about it.

"So, you're Ashton, I suppose?" the escort inquired.

"Yes, but you can call me Legion," he absentmindedly responded.

"I'm sorry, _Legion_?" she asked, confused.

"I like that name," was all Ashton had to say.

Recovering quickly, the escort exclaimed, "I give you, District Five's tributes for the Thirty-Sixth Annual Hunger Games!"

Moments later, they disappeared behind the doors of the Justice Building.

**District 6 Reapings**

"Hey, loser! Thought I told you not to come around here anymore?" Archer sat on his front steps and taunted the scrawny nine year-old who lived down the street from him. Hubey Willis stopped dead in his tracks on the sidewalk, cringing at the sound of the older boy's voice. He looked up at Archer, eyes wide with fear, and stammered,

"S-s-s-sorry, I–"

"Save it," Archer cut him off. "A loser like you doesn't deserve to talk to me. Go cry to your mommy or something." He waved the terrified child away with a fleeting motion of his hand and Hubey ran back to his house as quickly as he possibly could. Archer laughed to himself about it as he watched him go.

"That kid's face was hilarious," he chuckled some more and then went inside, where his mother was on the phone with a neighbour,

"I don't give a s*** if he threw a rock through your window! It's not my f****** problem!" she screamed. Muffled yelling could be heard on the other end. Archer smiled; his mother was always sticking up for him even though he didn't need it. He was perfectly capable of solving his own problems… with his fists.

"Well what the f*** do you want me to do?" she continued. "You're just a stupid b****! I'm done wasting my time on you!" She slammed the phone back on the hook.

"You won't believe that woman, she is impossible!" Archer's mother said to him when she noticed he had come in.

"Everyone is, honey," Archer's father entered the room and kissed his wife on the cheek. "They're all just jealous of how perfect you are."

"How perfect _we_ are," she corrected him with a smile before turning back to her son.

"So, Archie, are you nervous for your first Reaping?" she asked. It would be fairly common for a twelve year-old to be terrified of becoming eligible for the Hunger Games.

"Me? Nervous? HA!" he scoffed. "I'm not afraid of anything. In fact, I'm going to volunteer!"

"Oh darling, that's wonderful!" Archer's mother exclaimed. His father said nothing but was still smiling. If Archer won the Hunger Games, he thought, they would become rich and famous and business at their auto shop would take off. Everyone would want to be serviced by a victor. It wouldn't matter how much they charged, people would pay it. People from the Capitol might even send their cars all the way to District six just so they could know that Archer touched it. Maybe they would even be able to afford to sell non-stolen car parts for once. The possibilities were endless and it all started today.

"Well, then you better go get ready kiddo. Today's your big day!" Archer's father finally spoke up. He was right, so Archer went to his room to get dressed. First, he put on a tight, short-sleeved shirt that showed off his muscles. It was the same shade of blue as his eyes, one of his best features, so it would help to bring them out. He needed to make sure all of the Capitol girls could see how hot he was. _Heck, any girl could see I'm hot_, he thought confidently. Archer swept his wispy blonde hair out of his eyes and put on a pair of jeans. _I look awesome_, he thought to himself. _Casual, but still sexy._ Now that his look was complete, Archer couldn't wait to get to the Capitol and show everyone how amazing he was. He was going to be the best looking twelve year-old to ever enter the Hunger Games. _Scratch that_, he thought, _best looking __**tribute**_.

Archer left his room and went back into the main living area of his small house where his parents were waiting for him.

"This is so exciting!" his mother shrieked. "My son is going to be a victor!"

"Ehem, _our_ son?" his father questioned. "I take some credit for what happened in that bedroom too, you know," he added with a playful wink.

On that note, the family exited their house and started walking to where the Reapings were being held. As they went down their street, Archer spotted the same kid from earlier, Hubey, walking with his family to the same destination. There were five of them; Hubey, his parents and his two sisters. Archer considered calling him out again and decided against it, but not because of some higher moral value. It was because in his opinion the little runt wasn't worth his precious time. As if the boy could hear his thoughts, Hubey glanced over at Archer who stuck out his tongue at the younger boy and made a rude gesture that caused Archer's parents to smile and laugh and got him many disapproving looks from the other child's family. The glare from Hubey's older sister was the strongest and most defiant and it made Archer happy to know that he was causing others distress and pain. It was his purpose in life... besides being awesome.

The little boy's father patted his son on the back and then separated himself from the rest of his family.

"Excuse me?" he asked Archer's parents politely. "Is that how you encourage your son to treat other children?" Without waiting for an answer, he continued, "If so, that is highly inappropriate and very irresponsible of you."

"You trying to tell me how to raise my kid?" Archer's father demanded while stepping threateningly toward the other man.

"No, I just don't enjoy watching my son being hurt." Hubey's father responded while holding his ground. He would not let this man intimidate him.

"My kid can do whatever he wants to do and nobody, especially not you, will try to tell me differently."

"Yes, but there _are_ certain boundaries within free will that one does not cross… and he" he gestured to Archer, "just crossed it."

"That's it, you wanna go?" Archer's father demanded.

"No, I want to discuss this like calm, reasonable adults and set good examples for our children."

"F*** that!" Archer's father swung his fist at the man in front of him who dodged it easily. Hubey's father did not attempt to return the punch; he simply kept avoiding the other man's blows while shouts could be heard in the distance. Three Peacekeepers ran towards the two men to break up what they thought was a fight. When they got closer they realized that only one man was swinging his fists so they focused their attention on Archer's father. After two of them restrained his arms and pulled him away, the third spoke with Hubey's father to find out what happened and make sure he was all right. He described the situation calmly and slowly and to the Peacekeeper it was obvious that Hudson Willis had not been at fault.

"Thank you for intervening, sir." Hudson said as he shook the Peacekeeper's hand. "I'm glad you understand I was just trying to protect my son."

"I would do the same for my nephew, don't worry. Have a good day and…" he looked at Hudson's three children, "I sincerely hope the odds are in your favour."

They both smiled sadly before the Peacekeeper went to join his colleagues in escorting Archer and his family to the Reaping. Hudson returned to where his family had been waiting for him and looked each of his children in the eyes as he spoke,

"That right there is exactly why I teach you all self defense. You can't ever let people like that push you around. You have to always stand up for what you believe in."

* * *

Chessie Willis sighed at her father's words. There was no end to the things she wished she could say to the neighbourhood brat, also known as Archer Werthington, but she knew her father was right. One should always try to take the high road. _No one should be allowed to treat people like he does, though_, she thought to herself. Chessie cared deeply about her younger brother Hubey and she hated seeing him hurt or afraid like he obviously was now. She started imagining a story in which Archer was transported to a magical world filled with giants and he had to learn to be nice or else the giants would step on him. Chessie decided she would keep working on the story throughout the day and would tell it to Hubey and their little sister Kia at bedtime that night.

"Those giants will teach him a thing or two, that's for sure," she muttered to herself.

Her mother, Jetta Willis, glanced over at her daughter and then looked to her husband, Hudson, for reassurance. He smiled at her and lightly squeezed her hand; they were both used to Chessie often blurting out things that didn't make much sense and weren't really that concerned. They knew it made sense to her.

Meanwhile, Chessie had finally broken her gaze from Archer being escorted away ahead of them and took a deep breath to calm herself down before she said or did something she would regret. She had almost forgotten where they were going… almost. Chessie hated attending the Reaping every year. It ripped her apart inside to see family after family torn from each other by the cruelty of the Capitol and their Games. It just wasn't fair. But Chessie figured she may as well look on the bright side of things. Her family may not be rich, but they always had enough to eat and a roof over their heads. Her father had a good job repairing trucks for Peacekeepers and her mother was home to look after the kids when they come home from school since she hadn't been able to find a job after she got laid off from her old one. Her parents never fought, which was a lot more than other kids could say and everyone in her family loved each other very much. Whenever Chessie got upset about things, like today, she reminded herself just how blessed she was to have a family like hers. Chessie's family meant everything to her.

When they arrived at the Justice Building, Chessie hugged and kissed everyone in her family, told them she loved them and then went off on her own to get signed in since Hubey and Kia were fortunately both too young to be Reaped. The downside of this, Chessie realized, was that when they did become old enough Chessie would be too old to volunteer for them and protect them.

While she was in line she saw Tyra, the butcher's daughter, was only a few spots behind her so she went back to join her friend.

"Hey Tyra! How's it going?" Chessie asked.

"Oh, fantastic!" Tyra shouted with a laugh. "I've never been better! I just can't wait to find out if I'm the one to die this year!"

Tyra had always been outspoken, but Chessie noticed there was something not quite right with her friend today. Her eyes were clouded over and it looked like she was staring at something far away. _Oh no, not again._

"Tyra!" Chessie grabbed the girl's forearm. "Tyra, look at me! Are you high again?"

Tyra laughed at Chessie and waved her other hand around, "Who knows? There's always something on the streets up for grabs these days."

"I'm serious!" Chessie exclaimed. "You promised me you were going to stop with that."

"Did I?" Tyra creased her eyebrows and slowly shook her head. "Hmm, don't remember. Oh well."

"No, not 'oh well'! You're going to lose your job at the factory if you keep his up. And what will you have then?"

"Don't worry about me Chess, you worry too much." Tyra tried to wave Chessie off.

"I worry just the right amount, thank you." Chessie took a deep breath to stop herself from yelling at her friend. "Why don't you just come back to school? You haven't missed much; you only dropped out a couple months ago. Please, it's not too late to change things."

"Oh, it's been too late for a while," Tyra wagged a finger in the air. "FOR THIRTY-SIX YEARS OF HUNGER GAMES IT'S BEEN TOO LATE!" she screamed, causing a couple of Peacekeepers to look their way.

"Shh, Tyra, it's okay. Just please be quiet!" Chessie quickly tried to calm her friend before something bad happened.

"No, it's not." Tyra countered, though she had gotten quieter. "We've all been doomed to live sucky, terrible lives ever since the Capitol defeated the Districts and you know it."

"Please, Tyra, don't talk like that when we're out in public. You're going to get in trouble."

"Who cares? We –"

"I do." Chessie cut her friend off. "You're like family to me."

Tyra said nothing for a moment. They had reached the front of the line. After signing in, they walked to their section. As they went, Chessie could see her reflection in the windows of the stores in the square. Her short, dark brown hair was tied back neatly in a little ponytail and the sun was glowing off of the few highlights she naturally had. The freckles on her nose stood out against her light complexion, but she didn't mind them. Her mother had always told her when she was young that they were beautiful and that they made her special, so now Chessie herself believed those words.

They left the glassy storefronts behind and entered the roped off section for sixteen year-old girls, Chessie guiding Tyra step by step. Tyra was so disoriented that without help she probably would have ended up standing with some thirteen year-old boys, for all Chessie knew. Once they had claimed a space in the crowd, Chessie once again started trying to convince her friend to change.

"Won't you at least try coming back to school? It will give you something to do instead of wander around in the streets."

"Maybe I just don't want to, huh Chess? Maybe I like the way I am!" She spread her arms out dramatically and would have toppled over if not for Chessie being there to steady her.

"But –"

Chessie was cut off when the ceremonies suddenly began. Being a dutiful citizen she listened to the mayor's entire speech and when the escort came up on stage Chessie realized she had been holding her breath. She breathed deeply for a few moments while the escort spoke.

"Welcome everyone! It is time to select this year's tributes of District Six!" Silence followed her words.

"Ladies first." She moved over to the large glass ball and chose a slip. After returning to the microphone, she opened it and read the name it contained out loud.

"Chessie Willis"

_I can help them,_ was the first thought that entered Chessie's mind. _If I fight hard enough I can come back to my family and give them the life they deserve. I won't ever have to worry about Hubey and Kia getting on drugs because they will have everything they'll ever need. I can do this._

Chessie proudly strode up to the stage, ready to represent her District and her family. Fear slowly gnawed away at the pit of her stomach but she forced herself to push it aside until she was away from the cameras, which would hopefully not be long.

"Thank you, Chessie! And now, for the boys." She started walking for the other glass bowl when she was abruptly cut off.

"Don't bother, lady. I volunteer!" a voice shouted.

Chessie couldn't believe her eyes when she saw who was to be her district partner. The boy scaling the steps was none other than Archer Werthington.

The escort also seemed confused, "Darling, are you sure you want to do this? Do you know what you're doing?"

"Hell yeah, I know what I'm doing! And you won't ever call me darling again, lady, if you know what's good for you." He menacingly, or it would have been menacing if he was over five feet tall, slammed his fist into his palm before brushing past the escort to take his place on the stage. The two tributes shook hands and then were quickly escorted into the Justice Building.

**A/N: Well, there it is! I'll try not to take so long with the next update. Again I apologize for that! Thanks for sticking with me!**


End file.
